Too Far
by Eccentric Samurai
Summary: UPDATED! Sakura says something inhumanly cruel to Naruto, not knowing her words have sent the young ninja down a horrible path of self destruction that may result in more than just his spirit dying...
1. Cruelty

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It belongs to its rightful owner.

I don't generally go for the angsty stuff, but for some reason I couldn't resist this idea. Maybe I've been watching Oz too much or something (yes, I watch Oz and find it amusing, wanna fight about it?). That or I've always wondered if this would ever happen. It's probably both. Sakura may be a tad OOC, but then her obsession with Sasuke _could_ make her do something like this eventually. Anyway, read on and see what happens.

Warning: This first chapter is MEAN.  
-Eccentric Samurai

Too Far

(1)

"What's the score Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi sighed. "For the last time Sakura, stop focusing on those two and just focus on your own training for the day."

The entire day, she had been pestering him with this question. There had been no missions to carry out today, so Kakashi had decided Team 7 would undergo training exercises for the day. It had initially been peaceful until Naruto had gone into his usual speech about how he would eventually become Hokage.

Up to this point, people had said nothing about Naruto's constant reminder of his destiny as Hokage, but today somebody had. Sasuke had told Naruto that the chance of somebody such as him becoming Hokage were virtually nil. Sasuke had not stopped there. He had explained that besides being a loudmouth and all around nuisance, Naruto was too much of a hothead, far too impulsive, never used his head in dangerous situations, possessed no useful abilities other than the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (he did not yet know of Naruto's Rasengan technique), and further pointed out that bunshin doppelgangers were useless if you couldn't make them do anything besides gang up on your opponent or throw shuriken and kunai from multiple angles. So how in the Seven Hells could Naruto become Hokage? Sasuke added that he sometimes wondered if Naruto was even fit to be called a ninja at all.

Generally when faced with such insults, Naruto's face would turn crimson with fury and he would go into a screaming tantrum about how he _would_ become Hokage, he _would_ prove Sasuke wrong, he _would_ show them _all_ how wrong they had been at him. After that, Sasuke would smirk and say something cool that would turn Sakura on and make Naruto even angrier.

But that had not happened this time.

Naruto's face had not turned red with the typical childish anger it normally did.

It had turned… _pale_.

All of the color had slowly gone out of Naruto's face and he became very still. He began to tremble and a very dark look passed over his face, causing Sakura to get very nervous. She had never seen Naruto look that way. He had not just been angry then. He looked absolutely furious.

Naruto had taken two staggering steps toward Sasuke and Sasuke had actually stepped away from him. His eyes, always so warm and optimistic, were now sharp blue animals glaring out of caves of ice. Naruto spoke only three words to Sasuke, and when he did, his voice was a barely audible whisper.

"I challenge you."

Sasuke, always in the mood to prove he was better than Naruto, accepted.

Naruto had explained the rules of the competition. It was quite simple, really. He and Sasuke would compete against each other in every training exercise that Kakashi threw at them. The one who did better in each exercise was awarded one point. The one who had more points at the end of the day won.

And so it had gone on for the entire day. Sakura had barely been able to concentrate on her own training she had been watching them so intently, particularly her beloved Sasuke. Both he and Naruto had been going at it like cats and dogs and neither showed any sign of slowing down. She was in fact, quite nervous, but not over their wellbeing.

She was nervous because of Naruto's performance.

Naruto hadn't been performing badly. He had been performing quite well. Excellently in fact! Now that generally would have put a smile on her face-she did not exactly _hate_ him-but what made her feel so nervous was that he was performing _on the same level as Sasuke_.

The first training exercise, which had lasted for an hour, had been target practice with a row of straw dummies. Kakashi's orders had been particularly grueling as the three young comrades had to strike the finger tips of the dummies with their shuriken! Even Sakura, who was generally skilled with shuriken and the like, had had difficulty doing this. Sasuke, being a natural, had had no trouble whatsoever and Sakura had cheered him on. But then to her surprise, Naruto managed to do the same! And instead of jumping about and cheering like he normally did, he simply stood there, that same look of cold determination on his face, and said quietly: "I'm done."

The next training exercise had been even harsher. Kakashi had instructed them to deflect kunai he had thrown at them with their own kunai. Sakura considered asking why Kakashi was using more dangerous methods to train them, but decided against it. He was, after all, their sensei. Sakura and Sasuke had no trouble knocking away Kakashi's well aimed tosses, but neither did Naruto. And all the while, that cold look was set on his face like his face had been a stone wall and it had been carved into it.

The third training exercise had been the hardest yet. Kakashi had made them stick a kunai into the ground, then use it to balance their bodies in the air using one arm for the duration of an hour, using their chakra to ease the pain in their muscles if they felt the urge to let go as well as to stay aloft in the air. Sakura's body had cried out in agony through the whole ordeal, but the thought of impressing Sasuke gave her the strength to go on. Surely Naruto's newfound determination couldn't get through this!

It did.

After hours of grueling training sessions, Sakura was beginning to see that something new had bubbled up in Naruto, some sort of burning resolve that she had not seen since his match against Neji during the Chunin exams. It was new and it was… frightening. But it was still nothing compared to Sasuke! Of course it wasn't! Nothing was.

And now here was the last exercise for the day: Taijutsu training. In other words: a spar between Naruto and Sasuke. Kakashi would have chosen Sakura, but she wasn't exactly what one would call skilled when it came to hand to hand combat.

The score was completely equal. This last exercise would determine the winner. Surely they couldn't tie in a Taijutsu match. But then even that was possible, right?

"Are you both ready?" Kakashi asked, eyeing both combatants. They were both staring each other down.

"Hai." they both said in unison.

"Alright then, both fighters get ready… hajime!"

(2)

In Naruto's book of Taijutsu, the direct approach was the best approach, so he rushed at Sasuke and threw a left hook aimed directly at his jaw. Of course in all other ninja books of Taijutsu, the best approach was any approach _but_ the direct approach, as Sasuke caught Naruto's fist in his left hand and kneed Naruto in the stomach, causing the blonde haired boy to collapse on the ground.

"Go Sasuke-kun! You're the best!" Sakura cheered from the sidelines.

"Sakura, try not to interrupt their match." Kakashi said. "They need their concentration you know."

Sakura blushed a little in embarrassment from Kakashi's reprimand. "Oh, I'm sorry Kakashi-sensei." she said. "It's just kind of exciting to watch them, especially Sasuke-kun!"

Kakashi sighed, wondering how long Sakura was going to keep focusing on Sasuke instead of focusing on her work as a kunoichi. He sometimes wondered if it was even important to her, given how much she doted on him. Rather than say anything, he simply turned his eyes back to Naruto and Sasuke.

In the short time that he taken to sigh at Sakura's obsession with Sasuke, he had apparently missed a good deal. Naruto had gotten back to his feet and he and Sasuke were now trading punches and kicks with each other with neither one of them landing a blow on each other. Kakashi's instincts, honed to a much finer point than his students from years of training, could tell that Sasuke was actually having trouble keeping up with Naruto. Very interesting indeed, considering Sasuke already possessed fairly natural skills in Taijutsu and he had given him a month long crash course before he had fought Gaara. Naruto was really working overtime today!

Suddenly, just as Naruto landed a powerful jab into Sasuke's ribcage, Sasuke changed tactics. He grappled with Naruto, wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist, and arched himself backwards, driving Naruto headfirst into the ground. Naruto's head disappeared into the earth, the way a body would had Kakashi used his Headhunter Technique.

Sasuke stood up and dusted himself off. "Sorry dobe. It was fun while it lasted, but this it how it ends. I have to admit that was pretty good though." he said in his usual tone of nonchalance.

Naruto suddenly planted his hands onto the earth, thrust downward and pushed himself out of the ground. His face was dirty and there was dirt in his blonde hair. That look of determination was still there, now colder then ever.

"I'm not done yet Sasuke-teme." Naruto rasped. "This match isn't over."

Sasuke smirked. "Oh really, dobe? Then show me what you're made of."

Naruto charged at Sasuke and threw another left hook. Once again Sasuke caught it, but this time Naruto used his right hand to block the knee strike. However, Sasuke still had enough range to lean forward and head-butt Naruto in the face. Naruto gave shouted and stumbled backward, clutching his face, and Sasuke used that time to step forward and deliver a thrust kick to his stomach, driving Naruto back to the ground.

Sasuke walked to where Naruto was and smirked down at him. "I told you dobe, it was fun while it lasted, but this is where it ends. You did well, but I win. Now just give it up."

"I… am… going to be… Hokage." Naruto whispered as he tried to regain his wind. "I won't give up… ever!"

"And stop with that stupid 'I'm going to be Hokage' crap. It's getting on my nerves."

Naruto's eyes shot open and he held his right hand out to one side. A mass of blue chakra began to gather in it, beginning to form into a swirling blue ball. Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. What sort of technique was this? Naruto gave an inarticulate snarl as he thrust out his palm…

…only to have it arrested by Kakashi Hatake.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed. "What are you-?"

"The match is over." Kakashi said dully as the chakra in Naruto's hand dissipated. "Winner: Sasuke."

"Alright, way to go Sasuke-kun! I knew you could do it!" Sakura cheered, waving at the raven haired boy. She had never doubted him for a minute.

Kakashi released his grip on Naruto's wrist and began to walk back toward Sakura with Sasuke, who bore his trademark "I don't care about anything" look. Naruto didn't understand. Why did Kakashi stop the match? It was supposed to be until one of them was incapacitated.

"Oi! Oi! Kakashi-sensei! Why did you stop our match?" Naruto asked, running to catch up with them.

"You really don't know Naruto?" Kakashi asked. It came in the form of a question, but anyone with half a brain could see he was being rhetorical.

"I could've beaten Sasuke if you hadn't stopped me!" Naruto pouted.

Kakashi sighed. "The moment you activated the Rasengan, you lost the match. This was a Taijutsu match, in case you forgot. If I had wanted you to use Ninjutsu, I would have told you to do so. Because you broke that rule, you were disqualified and lost the match." he explained.

Naruto looked sadder then ever. Kakashi was expecting Naruto to argue with him, to protest, or complain or something like he normally did, but Naruto did not. He simply nodded his head and said "I guess you're right."

Naruto didn't say a word the rest of the way to the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

(3)

He hadn't eaten his ramen yet. He just sat there staring at it, stirring it with his chopsticks, watching it give off steam until it had grown cold. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura were long gone. It was just him and his bowl of ramen.

Naruto still couldn't believe it, all that effort, all that hard work, and Sasuke had still come out the victor. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Every single mission, every single assignment, Sasuke had to rescue him and Sakura, handsome, perfect Sasuke, with his natural talent and good looks, every, single, fucking time.

He reflected on the few victories he had had in the past. His fight with Haku hadn't been a victory. The damn fox had taken over and he had tried to help Haku when Kyuubi was gone, but the poor guy had been too dedicated to Zabuza and look what it had cost him! Well, to each his own, but still…

His fight with Kiba during the preliminaries? Okay, that was a victory of sorts, but he had only had time to set up the Naruto Rendan because he had farted in Kiba's face. What kind of ninja did that? What was next, pissing on the floor to make your opponent slip and fall? It just didn't seem proper, even if he had won.

His fight with Neji now: now there was the closest thing he could come up with to a true victory. He had fought Neji tooth and nail with Neji anticipating and destroying all of his attacks, even shutting off all of his chakra points at one point in the fight. But then Naruto had managed to summon Kyuubi's chakra and…

Yes, he had summoned _Kyuubi's_ chakra.

He had done the same thing in his fight with Gaara. And in his brief run-in with Itachi and Kisame.

So in an indirect way, even though he had been fighting, it had been Kyuubi which enabled him to achieve victory.

All of these revelations combined with his unhappy childhood did not make Naruto a happy camper.

"Hey kid!" the shopkeeper said, making Naruto jump slightly. "You just gonna sit there all day or are you gonna eat? I can't have loitering!"

With a dejected sigh, Naruto began to eat his ramen. He didn't wolf it down like he usually did. He slowly and methodically, not caring that it was stone cold by now. What was the point? In the end, the ramen turned cold, his efforts did not bear fruit, Sakura ignored him, he would screw up on missions, and the Kyuubi would remain inside of him to the day he died.

Naruto left the money on the counter and left the Ichiraku Ramen Shop to see if he could find Sakura and Sasuke. Maybe they would like to do something-anything-with him.

(4)

"…I mean, I _totally_ knew you could win Sasuke-kun, Naruto never had a chance against you, but nobody does, you're the best in the whole village, I bet not even Kakashi-sensei could beat you if you really tried-"

She had been rambling on and on like this for some time and had not gotten off of his back, literally. Ever since they had left Ichiraku Ramen and Kakashi had disappeared to do his own thing (it had something to do with Gai and one of his countless "spirited challenges of youth"), Sakura had been clinging to him and professing to him how great he was and how she knew he would defeat Naruto in their wager. Initially he had been able to tolerate it, but after it had gone on for a half hour, it had gotten annoying. Kami-sama, couldn't a guy get some peace and quiet?

"Sakura, if you don't mind, would you get off of me?" Sasuke said. His voice was muffled as Sakura's arms had wrapped around his head and were covering his mouth.

"Oh, sorry Sasuke-kun!" Sakura giggled. She promptly let go of Sasuke and stood in front of him. "I'm just happy for you, that's all! I figured you'd be happy too!"

Sasuke didn't say anything. He just uttered a brief "Hmph." and turned to leave. Sakura began to walk after him, but Sasuke looked over his shoulder and shot her a glance that told her not to follow him. Sakura was disappointed, but she did not want to displease him, so she stayed behind and watched Sasuke walk away.

As Sasuke disappeared from view, Naruto came up to her. "Hey Sakura-chan. You wanna go see a movie or something?" His voice was happy, but it lacked that spark of energy that was his trademark. It was softer, more subdued.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Why would I want to see a movie with _you_?" she asked, the last word dripping with sarcasm.

"I just thought that maybe we could, you know, spend some time together now that Kakashi-sensei is done training us for the day. I mean, we don't have anything better to do, right?"

"Naruto, you're a complete nuisance!" Sakura said. "Why would I want to hang out with somebody who only wants to humiliate other people?"

Naruto recoiled as if struck. "H-humiliate people? Sakura-chan, what are you saying?"

Sakura took a step toward him, her eyes blazing. "I know why you were trying so hard today in training Naruto! The only reason you performed so well was because you wanted to surpass and humiliate Sasuke! Well guess what? It didn't work! You lost, fair and square!"

"But… but Sakura-chan-"

Sakura didn't let him finish. "Did you think you even had a chance, Naruto? The only reason you were able to keep up with him for as long as you did was because you were in a rage and was thus able to push yourself beyond your regular limit of functioning! But when you finally calmed down, you reverted back to your normal clumsy self and Sasuke was able to beat you! If it wasn't for that, you wouldn't have lasted so long against him!"

Naruto was speechless. He didn't know what to say. All he could come up with was: "Sakura-chan…"

"It's pathetic, Naruto."

Naruto's head shot up.

"W-w-what?"

Sakura nodded at him, a look of sick triumph on her face. "You made that dumb wager with Sasuke just to make him look weak, but you just made yourself look weak. You made yourself look even weaker by trying to use Ninjutsu on him instead of Taijutsu when you weren't supposed to. I mean really, trying to make another person feel weak. That's like what Neji did to Hinata during the preliminaries of the Chunin exam!"

_Like what Neji did to Hinata… Like what Neji did to Hinata… Like what Neji did to Hinata…_

Those cruel words echoed in his mind as if being played on a tape recorder. He had seen Sakura angry before, but never like this. She had never gotten so… so… low before… And it was terrible. He had never felt so degraded in all his life. All the cold shoulders the villagers had given him, the missions he had screwed up, the failed exams, all of his shortcomings, none of it seemed to compare to this vicious volley of insults.

"Face it Naruto. It doesn't matter how strong you become. You'll still be a loser compared to Sasuke and the others. It's pathetic. _You're_ pathetic." Sakura sneered.

Naruto looked at the ground. His depression had returned and he just wanted to be left alone. He considered going back to Ichiraku Ramen, but he didn't feel hungry right now. Sakura had done enough to him. She had made her point.

As Sakura turned around to leave, she said: "Sasuke was right Naruto. What chance do you even _have_ of becoming Hokage? Everything he said was right about you. You can barely be called a ninja." Noticing the whisker like markings on his face, she threw in one last insult: "Given those whisker-like markings, you can barely be called human!"

(5)

"See you later Hinata!" Ino called from her family's flower shop.

Hinata did not say a word. She simply waved at Ino and walked to the road curb where her cousin Neji was waiting, his trademark scowl marking his face as if it had been branded on him.

"I don't see why you want to buy a flower when you can just pick one Hinata-sama. There are flowers all over Konoha and the forest." Neji said, his tone as impatient as ever.

Hinata's head jerked up from the red rose she was admiring in her hands. "N-Neji-niisan, I was j-just b-buying this f-for… f-for… um…"

Neji narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "For whom, Hinata-sama? Is there something I should be aware of? Or _someone_?"

Hinata did not answer. Today was going to be the day she told Naruto how she felt about him. She had finally mustered up the courage to tell him face to face, but she couldn't she just go up and talk to him. She needed to present him with something that described her feelings for him. She couldn't give him something from the Hyuga manor. The elders would not approve of it. So she had simply settled on a red rose from the Yamanaka flower shop. She could have just picked any flower, but roses did not grow in Konoha. Ino's father on the other hand, got shipments of flowers from all over the world, so she had gone there instead.

Hinata had to admit, she was a tad embarrassed about presenting Naruto with a red rose. It was very clichéd and old fashioned, like something out of an old romance novel or movie, but it was the only thing she could think of. And besides, flowers could still send powerful messages, so it was probably the safest choice.

Before she could answer Neji's question, Hinata heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching. She and Neji turned to see Naruto running toward them. No, scratch that, he wasn't just running. He was _sprinting_ toward them. But why would Naruto be in such a hurry? Was he running as a form of exercise? That was like something Lee would do, but Naruto?

Hinata smiled shyly. "K-konichiwa Naruto-kun! I-I brought you s-somethi-"

She did not finish as Naruto bolted past her without even stopping to say hello. He did not even look up at her. He just kept on dashing past her into the distance until he was out of sight.

Hinata held up her hand as if to stop him, even though he was gone. "N-Naruto-kun, wait! I-"

Neji gently took hold of her hand. "It's time to go home Hinata-sama. Don't concern yourself with him."

"But Neji-niisan-!"

"It's time to go home." Neji repeated.

With a sigh, Hinata submitted. So much for telling Naruto how she felt…

(6)

_Can barely be called human… can barely be called human… can barely be called human… can barely be called human…_

_Freak… Monster… Don't go near him! You don't deserve to live! He's evil… Demon child… Fox child… You should be fucking crucified… Demonic scum…_

Throughout his life, he had listened to these thoughts in his head, but after what Sakura had said to him, they had turned into voices, actual _voices_. They came in a never ending stream, a dreadful cacophony of taunts, cold words, and jibes, all aimed at him without the slightest bit of regret. And no matter how fast he ran, no matter how hard he pressed his hands against his ears, he could still hear them.

Naruto rushed through the streets of Konoha, eyes partially shut, head pounding, and above all else, his heart and spirit broken. He had had his feelings hurt before countless times by the villagers, his classmates, and even his friends, but this was different. Sakura, the girl he had had a crush on, had not just insulted or hurt him, but had torn into him and destroyed him, and intentionally at that. She had ripped out his soul, cut it in half, watched it writhe, and spat on both halves.

Naruto finally reached the building to his apartment. He yanked open the door and sprinted up the stairs, reaching the door to his apartment. He yanked that open as well, rushed inside and slammed the door shut, locking it. He felt weary and miserable. He couldn't take it anymore. All the pain in his heart and soul had reached their breaking point.

Naruto's lips began to quiver and his blue eyes began to water. Before the tsunami could come, Naruto ran to his window and slammed it shut so nobody could hear him. Unable to restrain himself any further, Naruto hurled himself onto his bed, buried his face into his pillow and began to weep.

Perhaps weep was not the correct term for what Naruto did. Sobbing was not, even wailing was not. He was flat out _bawling_. Horrible, unearthly sounds of misery and agony issued forth from his throat, the sounds of the utterly damned. Every so often, Naruto would hiccup or cough, but mostly all he would do was cry. Tears streamed down his concealed face. All that could be heard in the apartment of the famous knuckleheaded ninja was a muffled _waaaahh waaahh_ sound.

Naruto was utterly broken. It was over, everything. It wasn't just that Sakura had said such horrible things to him. It wasn't just that it _had been_ Sakura who had said such horrible things to him. It was that what she had said was true. What _were_ the chances of him becoming Hokage? And even if he did, would they even allow him to be Hokage, given he had the most vicious demon in existence sealed inside of his body? No wonder the villagers always looked at him with such scorn. He truly was a freak. A monster…

What then? What was there left for him? A lifetime as a regular ninja? A lifetime living in the shadow of people like Sasuke and Neji who would be regarded as geniuses while people like him would be looked down on simply for what they were? Even Lee and Hinata were regarded as successful ninja now because they had persevered over their personal problems-Hinata's shyness in combat, Lee's inability mold chakra correctly-and had become strong! But Naruto could never change what he was. Even if he became strong, he would always be a monster to the villagers because of Kyuubi. Always a monster…

Finally gaining control of himself, Naruto sat up on his bed, his face tear stained, his nose running, his face a mask of misery and depression. He looked at his hands. The hands that had formed the Rasengan, the hands that had kneaded chakra to create bunshin doppelgangers, the hands that had done all sorts of wonderful things.

The hands with nails which had become dangerous fox claws.

"It's not fair." Naruto sobbed. "How is this my fault? I didn't choose to have it sealed within me! So wh-wh-w-whaaaaaaaaiiiiiIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The word turned into a long wail and Naruto started bawling again. He buried his face in his hands and bawled uncontrollably, not caring if anybody heard him. He wanted somebody to love him, to care for him, to shelter him, but that would never happen. Iruka had been there for him, but a boy needed more then just a teacher to get through life. He wanted his mother and father, even though they were dead. He wanted somebody-anybody-to hold him, hug him, and sing to him until he fell asleep.

In that moment, Naruto Uzumaki wished he were dead.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Yeah, that was pretty mean, I know, and perhaps a tad long too. If this is an inconvenience to you, I apologize, but I had a lot of fun writing it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Read and review at your leisure!  
-Eccentric Samurai


	2. Tears

First off, I want to say, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS! I never thought you would like this story so much! I never thought I did THAT good of a job on this, but wow! Thanks a lot, all of you!

Let's see how Naruto handles his newly found sadness and how everyone else is doing.  
-Eccentric Samurai

(1)

It was early nighttime and people were tending to their night activities. Most people were indoors preparing dinners, or at restaurants. A few, mostly younger people, were out in the fields and forest with each other, doing whatever it was that people did on nights like this when the stars were out and the moon was bright. A few shops were still open, but most of them were closed. The day was almost done.

Among the buildings of Konoha, two boys were walking with each other. One was a tall, skinny looking boy wearing dull colored clothing with his hair in a topknot. His face bore a tired, rather slack expression that suggested he had a rather apathetic view on the world. The other was a chubby, cheerful looking boy with frizzy hair who was happily munching away on a bag of potato chips.

"Aw, come on Shikamaru, it was just a bowl of ramen!" Chouji whined as he popped another chip into his mouth.

Shikamaru sighed. "That's not the point Chouji." the slothful boy replied. "It's bad enough to take somebody else's food, but you took the food from Asuma-sensei."

Chouji pouted like a child who wanted candy. "My ramen bowl wasn't as full as the rest of yours were! I should have gotten a free bowl of ramen, but nooooo! The shopkeeper just scolded me for being 'ungrateful'!" His voice did a very poor, sarcastic imitation of the shopkeeper.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Chouji, you can be so troublesome sometimes. Your bowl was only less full by a centimeter. That doesn't make any bit of difference."

Chouji's eyes flashed fire. So angered was he that he dropped his bag of chips. "Doesn't make any bit of difference? _Doesn't make any bit of difference? I'll have you know, that I can't survive on such piffling meals, Shikamaru! I need true, rib tickling, succulent meals to fill my stomach! How dare you suggest that I could survive on such mediocre amounts of food!_"

Shikamaru sighed again. Honestly, Chouji was the only person who could spot a one centimeter difference in the amount of ramen in a bowl. He ate enough as it was, and sometimes he would ask others to share their food with him. Sometimes he would even try to take food from them. But this was a new all time low for him. Next thing you knew he would be trying to take food from enemy ninja during missions.

As Chouji continued his rant about how his body required "just a little more food than some people" and that he would "shrivel away to nothing" if he didn't get his fill everyday, Shikamaru closed his eyes and tried to remember how this whole fiasco had occurred. Actually it was quite easy to remember, given it had happened earlier that day! Ah, the memories…

(2)

It had started innocently enough. The Ino-Shika-Cho Trio had been training under the eye of Asuma Sarutobi for the day and had later retired to the Ichiraku Ramen Shop for a well deserved meal. All four of them had ordered ramen and had chatted leisurely until their orders had arrived. After the ramen had cooled down the appropriate level, they began to eat.

And then Chouji noticed that his was only slightly less full than the others were.

The effect was immediate. Chouji had screamed in horror (people would later report that they had heard a little girl shrieking from Ichiraku Ramen and had thought a murder was being committed) and had demanded that the shopkeeper give him another bowl for free for the "lousy service". The shopkeeper had been deeply offended by this and had told Chouji that he ought to show more gratitude to a person who slaved in a hot kitchen all day to make other people happy.

Defeated, Chouji had eaten the ramen, but he still wasn't satisfied. He clutched his stomach and whined that he was still hungry. He looked longingly at Shikamaru and Ino, but they were already finished. Shikamaru probably would have given him some had he had any left, but he normally finished while Chouji was still admiring the taste still in his mouth, and Ino probably would have just told him to get another bowl if he was so hungry. It seemed that he would just have to "go hungry".

Then Chouji noticed that Asuma was out further away smoking a cigarette.

And his bowl of ramen was still there, uneaten.

Generally when people are faced with such temptations, they must make a difficult moral decision: did they take the apple, or didn't they? Well for Chouji, whose stomach was beginning to cramp up with hunger, there was no moral battle. He made up his mind immediately. He got up from his stool, walked casually up to where Asuma had been sitting, then turned toward Ino and Shikamaru and shouted something to catch their attention.

"Hey look! It's Sasuke and he's naked!"

Shikamaru's expression became one of raw shock and, because he was so startled and could not think in his moment of shock, grabbed the soggy ramen bowl and threw it over his face. The idea of seeing another guy naked in public repulsed him to no end.

Ino on the other hand, had a much different reaction. The moment she heard those words, her eyes bugged out like something in a children's cartoon and she leaped out of her stool, her head swiveling in all directions, seeking out Sasuke's presence, wanting to see this beautiful sight. Chouji didn't see this, but a look of maniacal lust had passed over Ino's face, although perhaps it was better he did not see this.

As his two friends had their reactions to this, Chouji snatched up Asuma's ramen bowl and gulped down the ramen with amazing speed, not bothering to use chopsticks. He had never eaten anything so quickly before, but he didn't care. It felt good and his hunger was satisfied. Well, it was satisfied for the next hour or so. And it wasn't like Asuma would care. Ramen wasn't his favorite food anyway.

"Enjoying your second course, Chouji?"

Chouji froze as Asuma's hand fell on his shoulder. He slowly rotated around to come face to face with his sensei who had a warm smile on his face.

"Um, hi Asuma-sensei, I was just, um-"

"I see one bowl of ramen wasn't enough for you Chouji. How was mine?" Asuma didn't sound angry. He sounded quite amiable in fact.

Chouji shuffled his feet nervously. "Um, heh, heh, it was… really good! Better than mine, that's for sure!" Chouji chuckled, trying his best to sound confident. He was praying to all the Gods that existed that Asuma wasn't angry.

"Oh really?" Asuma said. "I'm glad to hear that Chouji. I was _sure_ hoping to eat that ramen for myself, you know. I mean, I just went for a pre-lunch smoke and I find that you've eaten my lunch. Quite a surprise, don't you think?"

Chouji began to sweat a little. "Y-yeah A-Asuma-sensei, quite a s-surprise!"

Asume was about to say something else when a very angry Ino suddenly marched up to Chouji, fists raised, and shouted at him, _"You chubby liar! Sasuke wasn't even there! I'm going to knock your teeth out!"_

Shikamaru meanwhile, had taken the ramen bowl off of his face which was wet and small bits of noodle on it. "I can't believe I actually fell for something like that. How troublesome." he said with a sigh.

Chouji flashed a nervous, meaningless grin at Asuma. "Ah, well, you really aren't angry at me Asuma-sensei? I mean, that was your ramen I ate!"

Asume chuckled. "Oh don't worry Chouji. It was just a silly bowl of ramen. I can always get another one."

Chouji breathed a sigh of relief. And here he had been worked up over nothing. How foolish of him!

Ino grabbed Chouji by his shirt and dragged him forward to gaze into her wrathful eyes. "You listen here buster, don't you ever, _ever_, lie by saying Sasuke is here when he isn't! Do you hear me?" Ino yelled into Chouji's face, beading it with flecks of spit. "You ever do something like that again, and I'll rearrange your face!"

Asume raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Ino?"

Ino turned to Asuma and said, "We were about to leave when Chouji shouts 'Hey look! It's Sasuke and he's naked!' so I turned around to look while Shikamaru flipped out and put the bowl on his face! I can't believe Chouji would pull a stupid stunt like that!" Ino huffed.

Asuma turned back to Chouji. He was still smiling. "Is this true Chouji?"

Chouji twiddled his fingers. "Well, I… guess its _sorta_ true…"

Asuma clapped his hands, making everybody jump. "Alright then, everybody back to the training grounds. I'm giving all three of you a crash course." he said.

All three of his pupils exclaimed _"What?"_ in unison.

Asuma chuckled again. "Chouji, you distracted Ino and Shikamaru and Ino and you stole my ramen. And Ino and Shikamaru, you two fell for Chouji's words, which is not bad, but you did let your guard down, which a ninja must not do, which _is_ bad, so I'm giving all three of you another two hours of training. Now let's get going."

"Aw man…" Chouji whined as he followed Asuma down the road to the fields.

"This is really, really troublesome." Shikamaru sighed.

"Thanks for nothing Chouji!" Ino yelled, bopping Chouji on the head.

(3)

"I'm just saying, there's nothing wrong with eating, but to take food from a sensei? Don't you think that's going a bit far?"

Chouji picked up his bag of chips, which was still quite full despite having fallen on the ground wide open. "I'm sorry Shikamaru, but I was hungry! What I was I supposed to do?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and said "Oh I don't know. Maybe you could have just eaten the bowl you were served and then asked for another?"

Chouji grinned sheepishly. "Oh gee, I never thought of that! Thanks for the advice Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru smiled slightly. "No problem Chouji. You wanna see if Ino's up for anything tonight?"

"Nah, not tonight, I have to go eat dinner, unless you want to join me Shikamaru! Tonight is all you can eat barbecue at the Yakiniku restaurant!" Chouji said, a too happy smile creasing his mouth. He licked his lips in anticipation of the delicious meat.

"Eh, I appreciate the offer Chouji, but I'll pass. I just ate dinner a little while ago. Besides, my mom is gonna kill me if I come home any later." Shikamaru said with a smirk.

"Aw, alright then, see you later!" Chouji said as he ran off down the street toward his favorite restaurant.

Shikamaru inhaled the night air and began to walk down the street at a snail's pace, taking in the scenery. Chouji was troublesome, but he was a good friend to have around. Ever since he had stood up for him those many years ago he had been good friends with him. Sure, Chouji was a glutton, a little bit of a coward, and not very attractive, but he was a nice guy at heart, and that was what mattered.

Ino was troublesome too, with her obsession with Sasuke and her rivalry with Sakura, but she was still a good person in general. Shikamaru did wish she could stop being so crazy about Sasuke though. He just didn't see what she saw in him. The guy didn't even seem to care about her or any one else, so why did she harp on him? Feh, women, they were all so troubleso-

Strange sounds in the wind.

Some sort of moaning.

Shikamaru wasn't somebody who liked to pry into things, but he was curious as to what this noise was. It sounded like a wounded animal, or maybe it was a person, although it didn't have a human quality to it. It seemed to be coming from one of the apartments. So he followed the road around the corner and down another road until he came to a large apartment building.

The moaning was slightly louder and Shikamaru's curiosity grew. He went around to the other side of the apartment and glanced up at the windows, which were all pitch black. He couldn't tell whether people were living in them or not. However, one window was bright with light. Shikamaru approached it.

He could hear it now. It wasn't moaning. It was somebody crying, and very loudly at that.

Shikamaru thought he knew that voice.

Shikamaru followed the path he had already come by and went into the double doors that lead into the apartment. It couldn't really be called an apartment since there was no check-in service or elevators to take you up or down. It was really more like a guest house of sorts, although Shikamaru didn't see anybody there.

He went up the nearest set of stairs, following the mournful voice as it reverberated through the halls. The further up the stairs Shikamaru got, the louder it became, a dreadful sound of bawling intermingled with hiccups and choking sobs. He couldn't imagine what could make somebody cry like that.

He took a right turn down the first hallway at the top and approached the door at the end of the hall to the left. The mournful noise was coming from behind there. He was shocked to suddenly realize it was Naruto's voice. But what could make _Naruto_ of all people cry like this? The kid was so optimistic, cheerful and energetic. Even when he got angry, he was back to his normal self soon enough. So what could possibly…?

Shikamaru considered just going home then and there. Whatever was happening to Naruto must be pretty bad, and it probably wasn't any of his business, whatever it was. Besides, he had only talked with Naruto a few times, so they weren't exactly friends, or even companions, so what good would it do? He would just be butting in.

Still, another part of his mind told him that he should at least ask what was wrong. He never understood why the villagers were always so cold to Naruto and he had never had the nerve to ask anybody why, not even his own parents, but he had seen enough of their treatment toward him to know Naruto didn't have many friends. Not to mention Sasuke was pretty chilly toward him as well (but then he was like that with everybody, wasn't he?) and Sakura was either berating him or bashing in his head. It was wonder how the kid kept up his attitude.

Shikamaru suddenly realized that he had never questioned Naruto's demeanor in the face of all the social and emotional adversity he faced on a regular basis. Not one single time had it occurred to him that this attitude was not natural, but merely a coping mechanism for… for… what? He did not know and perhaps did not _want_ to know.

"Forget it." Shikamaru muttered, giving his head a little shake to clear his mind. Great, now he was talking to himself. Not a good sign.

Naruto's miserable cries were growing louder in decibel level, the sounds of an animal caught in an inescapable trap.

He couldn't take it anymore. Shikamaru stepped forward and knocked on the door to Naruto's apartment.

(4)

"Naruto?" Shikamaru asked. "Are… are you okay?"

He didn't get any response. All he could hear was more bawling.

Shikamaru knocked on the door a bit harder. "Naruto, can you hear me? Are you okay in there?"

A loud series of hiccups, followed by loud sobbing.

With an irritated sigh, Shikamaru knocked even harder and raised his voice a little, trying to sound diplomatic. "Naruto, come on, at least answer me!"

This time, there was a reply. At first it was impossible to understand because Naruto was bawling so hard. Finally, Shikamaru was able to understand him.

"G-g-go a-awa-y…"

Shikamaru considered doing just that-again, his mind told him this wasn't any of his business-but something compelled him to dig deeper.

"Naruto, are you okay?"

"P-please… Leave m-me a-lone…" Naruto's voice was raw and hoarse from all the crying he had been doing.

"Jeez Naruto, how long have you been crying for? You sound like a soap opera."

That was the wrong thing to say. Naruto began bawling all over again, his voice a pitiful tirade of sorrow and misery. Shikamaru almost had to cover his ears it was so dreadful. Even Gai and Lee after accomplishing something in the name of youth couldn't cry this hard, and that was saying something! Then again, they were happy when they cried, so it didn't quite count.

Shikamaru knew he couldn't just knock on the door this time, Naruto was crying so loudly. He balled his hand into a fist and pounded on the door with all his might. "Naruto, won't you at least tell me what's wrong? I know it's probably none of my business, but if something's wrong, you should at least tell somebody!"

Naruto grew silent and Shikamaru thought he would say something, but those thoughts were dashed as Naruto began to howl even more loudly than before. Shikamaru was getting worried. People only cried like that when they were hysterical… or worse. But Naruto wasn't the type of person who would have a breakdown.

Right…?

Shikamaru could only think of one person to go to who could talk to Naruto. He wasn't sure if he would be at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop now, but it was the only thing he could think of. He turned around and hurried off down the stairs, Naruto's incessant howls reverberating throughout the building.

(5)

"One more time Shikamaru, you're absolutely sure about this?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "For the last time Iruka-sensei, Naruto's having some sort of breakdown! I don't what's happened to him, but he sound's like it's the end of the world! You know him better than me, so maybe you can help him."

It had been a wise choice on Shikamaru's part. Iruka Umino, who had been the first person in Konoha to show kindness to Naruto, did know Naruto better than most people. After leaving Naruto's apartment, Shikamaru had gone to Ichiraku Ramen in hopes of finding the Chunin. Luckily, Iruka had just been about to dig into a scrumptious bowl of ramen when Shikamaru had come calling.

Iruka had been more than a bit peeved when Shikamaru had insisted he come with him this instant, but when he saw how worried Shikamaru looked, he had taken time to listen. Shikamaru said that he had been with Chouji until he had left to go to dinner. Around that time he had heard strange moaning sounds from one of the buildings and had followed the sound to one of the apartment buildings. He had gone inside and had discovered that the sound was Naruto's voice which had been crying horribly as if he were having some sort of emotional meltdown. He had tried to ask Naruto what was wrong, but Naruto had just asked to be left alone and then had started crying harder than ever. That was when he had come looking for Iruka. He said it sounded like Naruto had broken down or something.

Iruka had grown more than a bit concerned. Naruto having a _breakdown?_ That made about as much sense as Hinata Hyuga being dominant and aggressive. Naruto had been through a lot of stuff because of the villagers. They had taunted him, alienated him, cold shouldered him, and done pretty much everything except beat him up. Iruka had seen Naruto get angry over this, shout how he would become Hokage one day, he had even seen Naruto cry a few times, but a full fledged _breakdown?_ No, that just didn't make sense. If Naruto was going to have something like that, it would have happened years ago, given all the abuse he had suffered.

Iruka had asked Shikamaru if he was sure about this, but even before Shikamaru had said it was true, he only needed to look into Shikamaru's eyes to see the sincerity. Shikamaru didn't look scared or nervous, but there was a deadly serious look, the look a ninja has when they were about to strike down an enemy or spring a trap. That was all he needed to assure him that what Shikamaru said was true.

And now here he stood at the door to Naruto's apartment, listening to the mournful sounds coming from behind the door.

Iruka approached the door and knocked on the door, just like Shikamaru had done. "Naruto, are you okay?"

Iruka had more success than Shikamaru did as the boy responded immediately. "I… Iruka-sen…sei? Is that… you?"

Iruka gave a reassuring laugh. "Of course it's me, Naruto! Who else would it be?"

"G-go aw-ay…"

"Come on Naruto, won't you let your sensei in? I just want to talk to you." Iruka said jovially.

Silence, soon followed by another "Go away…"

Shikamaru was getting tired of this. Before Iruka could stop him, Shikamaru blurted out, "Jeez Naruto, what's with you? You're acting like the whole world is against you!"

Again, that was the wrong thing to say…

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto resumed his bawling fit and Shikamaru became very nervous as Iruka towered over him, glaring down at him with a look that was raw, icy anger. He suddenly wished he had never opened his mouth.

Iruka pounded on the door as hard as he could, as it was the only way he could get Naruto to hear him. All the while Naruto continued to bawl and wail piteously like there was no tomorrow. Shikamaru covered his ears. The two sounds together was not a good combination.

"Naruto, please open the door! I only want to help you! If you will at least tell me what's wrong, I can try to help! Now please, at least tell me what's wrong!"

Silence.

"You won't Iruka-sensei… You're just like the rest of the v-village. Y-you just w-want to… You just w-want to… hurt me… You'll never understand…" Naruto's voice was choked with anguished sobs.

Iruka suddenly understood what Naruto meant.

"Shikamaru," Iruka said, "I need you to leave right now. You shouldn't be hearing this."

"Leave?" Shikamaru asked. "Iruka-sensei, what are you talking ab-"

Iruka's voice rose to a half shout, making Shikamaru jump. "Just go! This isn't any of your concern!"

The boy considered pressing the matter further, but the look of cold anger on Iruka's face told him to do so would be a mistake. He turned to go, but before he did, he asked one last question.

"Gomen ne, Iruka-sensei, but could you at least tell me why I can't hear any of this?"

Iruka's expression softened a little and he sighed. "I can't be too specific Shikamaru, but I will say if I told you what Naruto's so upset about, I'd be arrested for violating a law set by the Fourth Hokage. You might be too if you learned about this information." He said.

Well that was incentive. Shikamaru's eyes widened and he all but dashed down the stairs and out into the night, leaving Iruka alone outside of his pupil's door.

"Are you going to open the door now Naruto, or do you want me to break it down?" Iruka tried to sound like he was joking, but his voice was nervous. Naruto had never sounded so miserable, so desperate. Tonight, he sounded almost… almost…

No, he wouldn't think like that.

There was the sound of locks being unlatched.

Iruka slowly took hold of the doorknob, turned it, and opened the door, stepping into Naruto's room.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Yeah, cliff hangers suck, don't they? Well, I'll try to get the update ready soon. Again, thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! I never thought you would like this story so much! I really appreciate your support! Well folks, until the next update, adieu.  
-Eccentric Samurai


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